Business
Kanye West ‘Ye’ Calls Out Adidas & Jerry Lorenzo: “It’s Yeezy Over Everything”
After a quiet start to 2025, Ye—formerly known as Kanye West—has returned to social media with a series of fiery statements targeting Adidas and his former collaborator, Jerry Lorenzo. On Tuesday night (Jan. 7), Ye took to Instagram to accuse Adidas of undermining his Yeezy brand while denouncing Jerry Lorenzo for continuing his relationship with the sportswear giant.
Accusations Against Adidas
Ye’s primary grievance centres on Adidas allegedly manipulating search engine results to prioritize their site over Yeezy’s. He shared a screenshot of a Google search where Adidas appeared ahead of Yeezy.com, writing: “When you google Yeezy.com the adidas site comes before the Yeezy site… Stop doing your moves to hold me back. Our partnership is done. You’re a 60-billion-dollar company that froze my accounts.”
Kanye West’s tumultuous relationship with Adidas began long before the company severed ties in 2022 following his antisemitic remarks. Even before the fallout, Ye accused Adidas of design theft and oppressive business practices. Ye’s frustration remains palpable despite their legal battles being settled in 2024 without financial penalties for either party.
View this post on Instagram
Criticism of Jerry Lorenzo
The rapper also turned his ire toward Jerry Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God, with whom Kanye West collaborated in the early 2010s. Lorenzo has worked with Adidas since 2020 as the creative director of Adidas Basketball. Ye labelled Lorenzo “corny and disloyal” for aligning with the company post-controversy.
“Y’all know Jerry was corny and disloyal for doing work with adidas after the way they handled things. I still showed up to his show… but I’m never doing that again for no one. It’s Yeezy over everything.”
Lorenzo’s partnership with Adidas included the launch of an athletic line under Fear of God, making him a key player in Adidas’ basketball division. Ye’s comments suggest lingering resentment over perceived betrayals within the fashion industry.
A New Era for Yeezy
Despite his grievances, Ye emphasized his commitment to his brand, declaring his intention to dominate the fashion and music industries. He criticized former collaborators who he believes exploited his platform:
“They wanted to use the king. Get paid more than they would anywhere else… Now they banished. NO MORE HUGS. Yeezy over everything.”
Additionally, Kanye West reaffirmed his $20 price model for Yeezy merchandise, claiming it’s “burning the game to the ground.”
Ye’s outburst comes after a brief retreat to the Maldives, where he celebrated his wife Bianca Censori’s 30th birthday. The rapper has also been teasing his upcoming album Bully, the follow-up to 2021’s Donda, although no release date has been announced.
While Ye’s statements reignite tension with Adidas and the fashion world, they also signal his resolve to push forward with Yeezy as an independent force. As he put it, “I am here to dominate as I always have.”
